England lock Maro Itoje will miss the remainder of the Six Nations after sustaining a knee injury against Ireland last Saturday.
The 24-year-old will see a specialist on Tuesday to discuss the best treatment for the ligament damage which will keep him out of action for at least eight weeks.
Coach Eddie Jones says that while Itoje’s injury comes as a big blow, England have enough depth to cover lock in his absence.
‘Maro is going to be the best lock in the world so it’s a big loss, but we’ve got good depth,’ said Jones. ‘We’ll have to fill his spot and guys will just have to work that bit harder to cover his gap for how long he is out for.’
England host France at Twickenham on Saturday.
Photo: Will Oliver/EPA